The 38-year-old man was charged to court with one count of sexual penetration, contrary to Section 19 of the Sexual Offences Act of 2012.

The prosecution had alleged that the accused on Sunday, 17 July, 2016 penetrated an eleven-year-old girl in Freetown.

In his committal statement, Magistrate Dr. Binneh-Kamara noted that having gone through the evidence, he was satisfied that the accused has a case to answer, pursuant to the offence as charged, thus committing the matter to the High Court for trial.

Earlier testifying in court, the victim identified the accused as their neighbour and chauffeur of her stepmother.

She recalled that on the day of the incident, she was at home sleeping in the living room when the accused entered and woke her and took her into his room, undressed and penetrated her, adding that she felt some pain as blood oozed from her genitalia.

She told the court that she later told her stepmother about the incident and that they went to the Police Station, where they were issued with a medical report, before they proceeded to hospital for medical examination. The victim said she later made a statement to the Police.